Continuous-railway-crossing frog.



No. 768,171. I PATBNTED AUG.23,19O4.

' W. H. H. ELLIOT. CONTINUOUS RAILWAY CROSSING FROG.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 231903. N0 MODELF l 2 SHEETS--SHEBT l.

. No. 768,171. r. IDAILNTLD AUG. 23, 190A. y W. H. II. ELLIOT.

CONTINUOUS RAILWAY CROSSING FROG.

APPLIOATION :FILED NOV. 23. 1903.

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. I

*UNITED STATES Patented August 23,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CONTINUOUS-RAILWAY-CROSSING FROG..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 768,171, dated August23, 1904. Appiicanon med November 23,1903. semi No. 182,253. (No moda.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. H. ELLIOT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in East St. Louis, in the county ofA St. Clair andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inContinuous Railway Crossing Frogs, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference be; ing had to the accompanyingdrawings,form ing part of this specification.

My invention relates to a railroad-crossingl frog for use in thecrossings of steam or street railroads, the object of the inventionbeing to furnish a crossing that is continuous in a manner to avoid thepresence ofA gaps at the junction of the crossing-rails, therebyovercoming the jarring and pounding action such as now exists inrailroad-crossings, thereby relieving the railway equipment from strainand adding to the comfort of the traveling public. By my continuousconstruction I furthermore furnish a wheel-.fiangcway that is protectedfrom the ingress of snow, sleet, and other foreign substances.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a plan view of one of my frogs. Fig. II is a top view of thefrog bed-plate. Fig. III is acrosssection taken on line III III, Fig. I.Fig. IV is a vertical section taken on line IV IV, Fig. I. Fig. V is ahorizontal section through the frog. Figs. VI and VII are perspectiveviews of the two wingrails and thrust-rail sections of a frog. Fig. VIIIis a perspective view of the end of one of the running-rails leading tothe frog.

1 designates the bed-plate on which my frog is supported, there beingone of these plates beneath each of the four frogs used in arailroad-crossing. In the bed-plate are vertical slots 2, that arearranged in lines parallel with each other and preferably located nearthe corners of said plate, as seen in Figs. I and II. j 'f 3designatesrunning-rails that approach each other and the'ends of whichare slotted at a junction 4. These running-rails are l-mounted uponthebed-plate 1, .to which they are secured by rivets, means.

5 designates running-rails leading onto and secured to the bed-plate 1in lines respectively parallel with the running-rails. These running#rails 5 terminate at points 6, remote bolts, or other suitable from thejunction of the running-.rails 3, sol as'to'furnish a space between thejunction of the rails 3 and the facing ends of the rails 5,

7 designates'wing-rails movably mounted on the bed-plate 1 and eachhaving an arm 8 extending in line with and in juxtaposition to therunning-rails 8, as seen most clearly vin Fig. iI. The arms 8 terminatein outturned ends 9, projecting away from therunning'- rails 3 tothereby furnish throats 10 between said running-rails and arms into`which the flanges of car-wheels may enter to bear against the insidefaces of said wing-rail arms. Each wing-rail also has an arm 11projecting at an angle from the arm `8 and lextending to the ends of therunning-rails 5 to in such position serve as a tread for the car-wheelsduring their travel from one of the running-rails 3 to one of.the'running-rails 5, or vice versa.

12 designates thrust-rails that are spliced to the wing-rails 7 andoccupy positions adjacent to the wing-rail arms 11 and the ends of therunning-rails 5. These thrust-rails have outwardly-turned ends 13, thatproject away from the running-rails 5 to furnish throats 14 between saidmembers, into which the car-wheel lianges may enter to exert pressureagainst the inside faces of the thrust-rails to move them in the mannerhereinafter explained.

15 designates guide-rollers positioned in the slots 2 (see Fig. III) inthe bed-plate l to operate therein, the said rollers being secured tothe wing-rail arms 8 and the thrust-rails 12 by screws or pins 16, thatpass through the rollers and enter said members above' them.

The ends of the wing-rail arms 11 and the facing ends of therunning-rails 5 are tapered,

as seen at 17, Figs. Iand V, to secure a close yiit of said members whenthe wing-rails are y in their inward positions, thereby avoiding thepresence of any gap between said mein-A bers. These members are alsomitered at 11 for yieldingly holding said wing-rails to said and (seeFigs. VI to VIII, inclusive,) so that they will overlap at the treads ofthe rails.

18 designates spring-boxes carried by the wing-rails '7 and extendinghorizontally from the angle at the junction of the wing-rail arms 8 and11. In these spring-boxes are springs 19.

2() designates posts surmounting the bedplate 1 and arranged to receivethe springboxes 18, which are adapted for sliding movement thereon, thatis permitted by the boxes being provided with a slot 18 at theirbottoms, as seen in Fig. IV.

21 designates guide-rods loosely seated in the posts 2O and passinglongitudinally through the spring-boxes 18, into the inner ends'of whichthe rods are seated. These guide-rods bear the springs 19, whichrestbetween the inner ends of the spring-boxes and the posts 20.

The operation of my frog in practical use is as follows: When the partsof the crossing are at rest, the movable members thereof occupy thepositions illustrated in the drawings, thereby furnishing a continuoustreadway across the frog over either of the crossingtracks. When acar-wheel approaches the frog on either of the running-rails 3 or 5, theange of the wheel, according to the direction in which the wheel istraveling, enters either into the throat 10 at the outturned wing-railarm 8 or the throat 14 at the outturned end of the thrust-rail 12, towhich the wheel-flange travels. As a consequence the wheel-flange exertspressure against the inside face of the wing-rail or thrust-rail andforces the member away from the adjacent other members of the frogagainst the action of the corresponding pressure-spring 19 withoutaffecting the other wing-rail or thrust-rail, thereby affording acontinuous unbroken tread either from a running-rail 3 to a running-rail5, or vice versa, across the unmoved arm 11 of the wing-rail thatremains stationary. The wheel-flange then travels through the spaceaorded by the movement of the wing-rail and thrust-rail, engaged therebyand shifted laterally, so that the car-wheel will pass steadily andwithout jar across the frog. As soon as the wheels of the car havepassed over the frogs of the crossing the shifted wing-rails andthrust-rails are returned to their normal positions under the action ofthe springs 19, they being guided in both their outward and inwardmovements by the guide-rollers 15, operating in the bedplate 1, and thespring-boxes 18, carried by the wing-rails and moving longitudinally onthe posts 20.

I claim as my inventionA 1. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combinationwith running-rails, of movable wing-rails located at the junction ofsaid running-rails and free of connection therewith, and means i l lrunning-rails, substantially as set forth.

2. In a ra-ilrozul-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, ofsjjning-presscd wing-rails and free of connection to said running-railsand movably positioned adjacent to said runningrails to provide acontinuous treadway between the running-rails, substantially as setforth.

3. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, ofmovable wing-rails and free of connection to said runing-rails and eachhaving an arm positioned alongside ol one of the running-rails, and anarm extending in line with another running-rail, and means foryieldingly holding said wing-rails to said running-rails, substantiallyas set forth.

1. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, ofmovablowing-rails located adjacent to said running-rails and free ofconnection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails tosaid running-rails, and thrust-rails connected to said wing-rails,substantially as set forth.

5. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, ofmovable wing-rails located adjacent to said ruiming-rails and free ofconnection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails tosaid running-rails, and thrust-rails connected to said wing-rails; eachof said wing-rails and thrust-rails having an outturned end to furnish awheel-llange-receiving throat, substantially as set forth.

6. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails andfree of connection therewith, of wing-rails arranged adjacent to saidrunning-rails, spring-boxes carried by said wing-rails, springs in saidboxes, and posts on which said spring-boxes travel, substantially as setforth.

7. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with a pair ofrunning-rails, of a second pair of running-rails separated from theiirstnamed pair and spring-pressed wing-rails having arms lyingalongside of the lirst-named running-rails and free of connectionthorewith, said wing-rails having arms extending in line with saidsecond-named running-rails to abut thereagainst, substantially as setforth.

8. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate,running-rails mounted on said bed-plate, movable wing-rails mounted onsaid bed-plate adjacent to said running-rails and free of connectiontherewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails, and means forguiding the wing-rails, substantially as set forth.

9. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate,ruiming-rails mounted on said bed-plate, movable wing-rails mounted onsaid bed-plate adjacent to said runningsrails and free of connectiontherewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails, and guide- IOOrollers carried by said Wing-rails and operating V in said bed-plate,substantially as set forth. l0. In a railroad-crossing frog, thecombination of a bed-plate, running-rails mountedV on said bed plate,wing-rails mounted on said leed-plate 'adjacent to said running-railsand free of connection therewith, means for yieldinglyI holding saidWing-rails, thrust-rails connected to said Wing-rails., and means forguiding said Wing-rails and thrust-rails inV their movement,substantially as set forth.

11. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate,running-rails mounted on said bed-plate, Wing-rails mounted on said bed`plate adjacent to said running-rails and free of connection therewith,means for yieldingly holding said Wing-rails, thrust-rails connected tosaid Wing-rails, and guide-rollers carried by said Wing-rails andthrust-rails and operating in said bed-plate, substantially as setforth.v

WILLIAM H. H. ELLIOT. In presence ofy NELLIE V. ALEXANDER,

E. S. KNIGHT.

